Combined cap



(No Model.)

I'. FRANK. GQMBINLL GAP, PILLOW, AND LIFE PLLSLRVLR.

No. 529,119. Patented Nav. 13, 1894.

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UNITED STATES PATENT trice.

FRANCOIS FRANK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COMBINED CAP, PILLOW, AND LIFE-PRESERVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 529,119, dated November13, 1894. Application filed September 278, 1893. Serial No. 486.659. (Nomodel.)

`in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,

have invented a new and useful Combined Cap, Pillow, and Life-Preserver,of which the following is a specification.

`My invention relates particularlyto iinprovements in a combined cap,pillowand life preserver, which is the subject of Letters Patent of theUnited States,No. 419,765, granted to me January 2l, 1890, and my objectis to improve the construction of the article above named so that it isbetter adapted to the requirements of practice than has Vbeen hereto-Afore attained, and the improvements consist in providing a better formof cap for conversion into a pillow or life preserver, and in soattaching the guard strap to the cap that it may be used for the doublepurpose of a cap guard and for attaching the article to ones body whenused as a life preserver or to a chair when used as a pillow; and stillanother improvement consists in providing means for Ventilating thearticle when Worn as a cap without adding materially to either the costor weight and, finally, I have provided a new construction of valvethrough which air may be introduced or expelled from the cap which -hasgiven perfectly satisfactory results, all of which is fully explainedhereinafter, and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a side elevation vof a cap in which is embodied myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of Fig. 1 showing the gen`eral construction, as will be more fully explained hereinafter. Fig. 3is a side elevation of .the cap arranged as a pillow or life preserver.Fig. 4 isa plan view of the air valve and the casing therefor; and Fig.5 is a vertical section on line V W of Fig. 4, on a scale twice as largeas Fig. 4, of the air valve and casing therefor, together with a portionof the top of the cap, and a ring cemented in the center of the top ofthe cap to which ring the valve casing is secured. Fig. 6 is a verticalsection of the air valve casing on the same enlarged scale as shown inFig. 5. Fig. 7 is a Vertical section of valve K showing holes S. Fig. 8shows, respectively, an elevation and a vertical section on line X Y ofa portion of the interior of the cap band, with corruga tions betweenwhich air may pass into and out of the cap for Ventilating purposes.

Similar letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The material of this article of wearing apparel is uguaily made of sometextile material combined with rubber, but may be made of any othersuitable material adapted tothe purpose, the parts being joined togetherin any suitable way so as to form an air andl water tight bag, which,when folded one half within itself formswith the attachments hereinafterdescribed the cap shown in Fig. l, in

which A is the outer crown portion andB the visor which is attached tothe cap band C, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. There is a guard strap orband D'which I usually provide with slide clasps E at the ends thereof,the central of length portion of the strap being held to therear'portion of the cap by means of a loop F through which the strappasses. usually wholly or partially made of elastic material and whennot in use is brought around the band of the cap, and by means of theslide claspsE pulled in closely to the cap band, as is usually done withthe ordinary iuelastic guard straps for caps.

The inside portion G of the crown of the cap is almost as large as theoutside portion A, these portions being connected together at the insideof the cap by means of the sweat band H, Figs. 2 and 8. This sweat bandmay be made of textile fabric and rubber, with Strap D is cork, or anyother suitable material which is capable of being pressed into permanentridges or corrugations, in a portion or all the circumference of theband, which are adapted to contact with the head of the wearer of thecap and permit the air to pass into and out of the inside of the crownof the cap between the corrugations, but should the direct contact ofthe corrugations be found annoying or obj ectionable in any particular asmooth band of leather, or other suitable material, may be secured inposition to cover the corrugations, and still permit the air to pass inand out,'as before described.

In manufacturing this article of wearing apparel the inside portion ofthe crown of the cap is secured to the upper edge of the sweat band H,while the lower edge of the sweat band is secured to the lower edge ofthe outer portion of the crown and forms a bag. There is a valve K forthe admission and exit of air to the space between the outside andinside portions of the crown of the cap, which valve is composed of anouter liange L, and the valve proper K which is joined to the iiange bymeans of a stem M. The valve casing N is cylindrically shaped, and screwthreaded exteriorly, to screw down into a ring O which is cemented airtight to the top of the cap. The bottom portion of the valve casing N isfaced with rubber or leather at P, and through the bottom of the casingis a hole Q through which operates the stem M of valve K, the valve whenin its position against its seat serving to cover hole Q, as shown inFig. 5, the valve being held in the closed position by means of ahelical spring R, which has one end in contact with the bottom ofthecasing N, while the other end of the spring contacts the under side ofthe Valve flange L. There are several holes S through iiange L for theadmission of air into the interior and the exit of air out of theinterior of valve casing N.

The valve casing N when screwed out of the ring O leaves an `orifice ofsulcient size so that water may be introduced there through and the bagbe used as a'water receptacle. It will be noticed by reference to Fig.3, that, the inside and outside sections of the crown portion of the capare almostcylindrical when inflated and that the sweat band H and thecap band proper C have a smaller diameter than the crown portions sothat the visor B lies close to these depressed portions of the bag whenit is fully in ilated, the visor being thus out of the way and protectedwhen the bag is used as a pillow or life preserver.

In blowing up the bag the mouth is applied around the projecting portionof casing N when, by blowing, valve K is forced inward against thepressure of spring R, the air entering holes S of valve flange L, thencedown through casing N and through hole Q at the bottom thereof, thencepast valve K and into the bag. At each inspiration of the lungs, whenthe blowing is stopped, the valve K is automatically closed by theaction of spring R.

When it is necessary to collapse the bag one of the fingers may pressupon the flange Lwhen through the medium of stem M valve K will beopened and permit the air to escape by a light pressure upon the bag.

By removing the guard strap D from its usual position around the capband to the position shown in Fig. 3 the strap may be readily adj ustedaroundonesbodyso that theinflated cap may serve as a life preserver,pillow or for holding water the length of the strap being adjusted tothe size of the body by means of the slide clasps E.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. Anarticle of wearing apparel in the form of a cap, which is adapted toconversion into a pillow and life preserver, consisting of an outercrown section, and an inner lining section which is adapted to fold intoand out of said crown section, said sections connected to form an airtight bag with a circumferential depression midway the length thereof,substantially as shown and described.

2. In an article of wearing apparel in the form of a cap, which isadapted to be converted into a pillow and life preserver, the guardstrap D attached to the rear portion of said cap and serving the doublepurpose of n guard strap for the cap and as a means of attaching thearticle as a life preserver to the body of the wearer, substantially asdescribed.

3. In an article of wearing apparel in the form of a cap, which isadapted to conversion into a pillow and life preserver, consisting of anouter crown section, and an inner lining section which is adapted tofold into and out of said crown section,said sections connected to forman air tight bag by means of circumferential bands, the inner one ofsaid bands having corrugations projecting inwardly, which are formed inthe manner and for the purpose described.

4. In an article of wearing apparel in the form of a cap, which isadapted to conversion into a pillow and life preserver, and consistingof an outer crown section, and an inner lining section adapted to foldinto and out of said crown section, said sections connected to form anair tight bag, the combination therewith of a means for the inlet andoutlet of air consisting of a hollow cylindrical casing removablyattached to said bag, an air passageway into said bag through one end ofsaid cylinder, an inwardly opening disk valve guarding said passageway,a stem of the Valve projecting outward through the air passageway andterminating in a perforated disk fitted to move loosely within thecasing, and a helical spring between the perforated disk and the bottomof the cylinder serving forthe purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand,this 21st day of September,l893, in the presence of witnesses.

FRANQOIS FRANK.

Witnesses:

- O. R. KAUFMAN,

OSCAR SNELL.

